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- 1Recall and identify examples of visual artworks from the learners' own community and explain why these artworks are important to understanding local culture. This objective matters because learners must first recognise the artworks around them before they can analyse how these artworks tell stories about their community's history, values, and current issues
- 2Activity 1 — Visual Memory Walk: Display three large printed images on the classroom wall showing: (1) a kente cloth pattern, (2) a clay pot from a northern pottery village, and (3) a street mural from Accra depicting community life. Ask learners to walk silently past each image for 30 seconds, then return to their seats. Ask: 'Which of these three images have you seen in your home, at market, or in your community?' Call on volunteers to name which image they recognised and where they saw it. Expected responses: 'Kente cloth — my grandmother wears it', 'Clay pot — we use it for water at home', 'Street mural — I saw it near Makola Market.' Record their answers on the board in three columns
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- UNDERSTANDING HOW ARTWORKS REFLECT COMMUNITY HISTORY, CULTURE, AND ISSUES
- 1Main Activity — Video Analysis of Local and Global Culture: Show the video on 'Local and Global Culture' (from the TLRs provided). This video should show examples of Ghanaian visual artworks (e.g. kente weaving, adinkra symbols, pottery, street murals) and brief interviews with artisans explaining their work. As learners watch, they complete a simple observation sheet with three columns: 'Artwork Name', 'What I See', 'What It Tells Me About the Community.' Pause the video after and ask: 'What does this artwork look like? What colours and shapes do you notice?' Learners whisper answers to their partner before the video resumes. After the video ends, ask 3–4 pairs to share one observation aloud. Teacher confirms: 'Visual artworks are like windows into a community's history, beliefs, and daily life.' Write on the board: 'ARTWORK = HISTORY + CULTURE + ENVIRONMENT + ISSUES.' Teacher explains with a concrete example: 'A street mural in Accra showing a family harvesting cassava is NOT just a pretty picture—it tells us that farming is important to Ghanaian life, it shows our environment, and it reflects our values about family work.'
- 2Sub-Activity 1 — Guided Identification of Cultural Elements: Display three A3-sized images on the board: (1) a traditional kente cloth with geometric patterns, (2) a pottery vessel with finger marks, (3) a modern street mural showing community unity. For each image, ask learners in unison to identify aloud: 'What culture does this show? What history or issue does it represent?' Model the answer for image 1: 'This kente cloth shows Akan culture. The gold and red colours represent royalty and celebration. It tells us that Akan people value beauty, craft skill, and pride in their heritage.' Repeat this guided process for images 2 and 3, asking learners to identify the culture (Northern pottery tradition; modern urban community issues) and what each artwork represents (craftsmanship and water storage; unity and shared identity). Learners write one sentence in their books for each image. Let learners work in pairs to keep all learners involved
- 3Sub-Activity 2 — Paired Matching Task: Distribute a worksheet (or write on the board) with 5 short descriptions of artworks and 5 images. Descriptions include: 'A cloth with symbols that protect families', 'A carved wooden door showing stories of ancestors', 'A modern painting about pollution in our rivers', 'A beaded necklace showing a girl's coming of age', 'A market stall decorated with hand-painted animals.' Pairs match each description to the correct image and discuss: 'Why do you think this artwork was made? What does it teach us?' Ask 3 pairs to share one match and their reasoning aloud. Confirm answers and connect each to the lesson objective: 'Each of these artworks connects to our community's history, culture, environment, or a topic we care about.'
- 4DIFFERENTIATION: Struggling learners—provide a word bank with culture names (Akan, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani) and simple labels (history, family, nature, belief). They work with the first 3 images only and can point to colours and objects instead of writing full sentences. Average learners—complete the full activity as described. Fast finishers—create a short written description of ONE artwork they know from their own community (e.g. a family heirloom, a local shrine, a neighbourhood mural) and identify which of the four elements it represents (history, culture, environment, issue). Invite fast finishers to share their example with the class if time permits. Use pair or group support to manage the large class.
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- 1Video on Local and Global Culture (TLR)
- 2Video on Chieftaincy (TLR)
- 3Printed images: kente cloth, pottery, street mural (A3 size, mounted on card or displayed digitally)
- 4Observation sheet worksheet (3 columns: Artwork Name, What I See, What It Tells Me)
- 5Matching worksheet: 5 artwork descriptions and 5 images
- 6Word bank poster (culture names and four elements)
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- 1Plenary Activity 1 — Consolidation Circle: Sit learners in a large circle (or in their seats if space is tight) and conduct a 'Pass the Concept' activity. Start with the sentence stem on the board: 'A visual artwork in my community is important because it shows _______.' Point to a volunteer learner and ask them to complete the sentence aloud using one word from your board list (history / culture / environment / issue). Examples: 'A visual artwork in my community is important because it shows our history' or 'because it shows our culture.' Continue around the circle with 8–10 learners, each giving a different answer. After each response, ask the class: 'Do you agree? Thumbs up if yes.' This reinforces that artworks have multiple meanings and connections to community life
- 2Plenary Activity 2 — Reflection and Exit Ticket: Ask learners to sit quietly and think: 'Name ONE artwork you saw today (in the video or in the classroom activities) that you did NOT know was important before this lesson. Why did learning about it change your thinking?' Invite 4–5 learners to share their reflection aloud. Teacher listens and affirms: 'Today, you learned that artworks are not just decorations—they are records of who we are, where we come from, and what we care about.' Summarise: 'Tomorrow, we will create our own artwork that reflects something important about YOUR community. You now know how to look for history, culture, environment, and issues in visual art.'
Exercise
- 1Written Exercise — Artwork Identification and Reflection: Show learners ONE image (a photograph of a local artwork, such as a street mural, a market trader's painted sign, a traditional shrine, or a kente weaving). Ask: 'Look at this artwork carefully. Identify TWO of the following that this artwork reflects: history, culture, environment, or a topical issue. Write one sentence for each. Explain how you know.' Model answer for a street mural showing a community garden: 'This artwork reflects ENVIRONMENT because I can see plants and water. It reflects CULTURE because it shows how Ghanaians value community and sharing food together.' Learners write their answer in their exercise books. Collect responses to assess understanding of the lesson indicator
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- 1Identify visual artworks from the local community that reflect history, culture, and topical issues by recalling characteristics of culturally significant Ghanaian art forms. This objective matters because learners need to recognise that art is not separate from real life — it tells the stories of their own communities, their history, and the issues affecting them today
- 2Activity 1 — Kente and Adinkra Quick Recall: Display two images on the board: a kente cloth showing geometric patterns and an adinkra symbol (use the video on local and global culture if projector is available). Ask learners: 'What do you already know about kente cloth? Where have you seen it worn?' Invite three learners to name one place or occasion. Write their answers on the board (e.g., 'at funerals', 'at chief's palace', 'at naming ceremonies'). Explain: 'Kente and adinkra are not just beautiful — they tell stories about our Akan people and what matters to them.' This activates prior knowledge about traditional Ghanaian art
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- ANALYSING COMMUNITY ARTWORKS: HISTORY, CULTURE, AND TOPICAL ISSUES
- 1Main Activity — Guided Analysis of a Local Artwork Using the Video: Play the video on local and global culture (3– ). The video should show examples of Ghanaian artworks such as murals, painted compound house walls, market stall designs, or chieftaincy regalia. After viewing, write on the board three guiding questions: (1) 'What do you see in this artwork?' (2) 'What story or message is the artist trying to tell?' (3) 'Does this artwork show something about Ghanaian culture, history, or a problem in our community?' Select a boy from the front row to describe what he saw in the video. Ask a girl who has not yet contributed: 'Did the artwork show something about our culture or an issue affecting our community? Explain.' Guide learners to understand that every artwork has a reason — it reflects something the artist cares about. Write the word 'PURPOSE' on the board and explain: 'When an artist creates an artwork, they want to show us something important about their community.' This activity applies understanding by moving from recognition to analysis. Let learners work in pairs to keep all learners involved
- 2Sub-activity 1 — Pair Analysis of a Specific Artwork: Provide each pair with a printed image or show a projection of ONE specific artwork (for a large class, use the projector to show the same image to all). Choose a painting, mural, or carved wooden artwork with clear cultural or topical content — for example, a mural of a fisherman hauling nets on a Tema beach (history/occupation), a market scene showing kayayei carrying goods (topical issue/labour), or a compound house wall painted with adinkra symbols and a scene of farming (culture/environment). Give the pairs to discuss: 'Is this artwork showing (a) history, (b) culture, (c) environment, or (d) a topical issue facing the community?' Write these four categories on the board. Ask one representative from 4 different pairs to stand and state their group's answer with ONE reason. If a pair gives an answer, do not correct immediately — acknowledge and invite another pair to share a different view. This develops collaborative thinking and communication
- 3Sub-activity 2 — Connecting Local and Global Art: Ask learners: 'Artwork from Ghana is also seen in other countries. Artists from other countries come to Ghana to learn. Why do you think people from the USA, UK, or other countries are interested in Ghanaian art?' Explain with an example: 'Ama is a Ghanaian weaver who creates kente cloth. People from America buy her kente to wear at celebrations. Why? Because kente is beautiful AND it tells a true story about Ghanaian culture.' Write on the board: 'Local Art = Global Interest'. Show one more image from the video showing either a Ghanaian artwork sold internationally OR a global artwork displayed in Ghana (if available). Ask: 'How does art connect Ghanaians to the rest of the world?' Take 2 volunteer answers. Summarise: 'When we make art that shows our real stories, the whole world wants to learn from us.' This addresses the 'global connections' part of the indicator. Let learners work in pairs to keep all learners involved
- 4Differentiation — Struggling learners: provide a word bank on the board with four category words: HISTORY, CULTURE, ENVIRONMENT, TOPICAL ISSUE. Pair these learners with stronger peers and ask them to point to the correct word when discussing the artwork. Average learners: complete the pair analysis as described. Fast finishers: After identifying the artwork's category, ask them to design their own small sketch (2–3 sentences description) of a community artwork they would create to show a topical issue (e.g., recycling, road safety, education). Invite 1–2 fast finishers to share their design idea with the class in the plenary. Use pair or group support to manage the large class.
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- 1Video on local and global culture (3–4 minutes duration)
- 2Video on chieftaincy (optional — for reference if learners ask about royal regalia)
- 3Printed images or digital projections of local Ghanaian artworks (murals, kente, adinkra, compound house paintings, market designs)
- 4One new artwork image for the exercise (not shown during main teaching)
- 5Whiteboard and markers
- 6Exercise books and pencils for all 57 learners
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- 1Plenary Activity 1 — Class Artwork Celebration and Discussion: Ask learners: 'We have analysed many artworks today. Which one impressed you most and why?' Invite 3–4 learners (alternate between boys and girls) to stand and state the name or describe one artwork they remember and ONE reason they found it interesting (e.g., 'I liked the fisherman mural because my father is a fisherman and I felt proud'). After each contribution, ask the class: 'Did anyone else notice that too? Thumbs up.' This consolidates the lesson by celebrating personal connections to artworks
- 2Plenary Activity 2 — Reflection on Community Art Around Us: Show a final image or ask learners to close their eyes and imagine: 'Think about your street, your market, or your school compound. There is art all around you — maybe painted walls, carved doors, decorations, or signs.' Ask chorally: 'Hands up — how many of you now realise that your community is full of artworks?' Count the hands. Explain: 'Every artwork you see tells a story. Artists in your community are keeping our history, culture, and values alive. And they are also showing the world what Ghana is.' End with: 'Next time you walk through your neighbourhood, look carefully — you are walking through an art gallery!' This reflection cements the lesson's purpose and encourages lifelong observation of art
Exercise
- 1Written Assessment Exercise: Show learners ONE new image of a Ghanaian community artwork (a photograph of a mural, a carved stool, a painted compound house, or a market design — something not shown during the lesson). Ask them to write or draw a response in their exercise books (2–3 sentences minimum). Question: 'Look at this artwork carefully. (1) What do you see? (2) Does it show history, culture, environment, or a topical issue in Ghana? (3) Why do you think the artist made this artwork?' Model answer guide: 'A learner might write: I see a mural of women selling vegetables at the market. It shows our culture and environment because markets are important to Ghanaian communities and the artist is showing how hardworking market traders are. The artist made this to show that market trading is valuable work.' Accept any response that identifies at least two elements (what is shown + one category from history/culture/environment/topical issue) and provides a reason. This directly assesses the Phase 1 objective (identify artworks reflecting community history, culture, and issues)
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